


electric flowers (lightning strike on a spring field)

by sisinala



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: BAMF Haruno Sakura, Blank Period, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Constipation, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nonlinear Narrative, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Epilogue, Soft Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha family, sasusaku travelling, wooing sakura haruno
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:07:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22019863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisinala/pseuds/sisinala
Summary: Her smirk suddenly made him feel like being caught under a genjutsu, and he even checked to make sure that he was still conscious. But no, he was still here and she was still there and watching Sakura down bowls of ramen wasn’t something Sasuke thought he would like to do for the rest of his life.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 148





	1. "Da"

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to [ @jovenlovebot](https://twitter.com/jovenlovebot) for beta-ing! I dedicate this to [ @sasusakuph](https://twitter.com/sasusakuph) and @ceejurs because their posts dragged me back to sasusaku hell and now here we are! 
> 
> This was supposed to be a one-shot soft smexy times but it grew so many paragraphs that I have to chop it up. But smexy times is a promise (but I'm not sure it's going to be soft *dodges tomatoes*)

He feels her soft fingers push his hair slowly away from his face, could maybe even imagine her smile even though his eyes were closed. He felt the gentle press of her lips on his forehead. 

Maybe there have been words, answered with a half-asleep smile and a groan. A quiet chuckle, then the sound of sheets rustling. He goes back to sleep and dreams of her. 

Somehow, even before he did, Sasuke's body knew he was home. Wherever he was, in whatever condition he's in, he would pat the space next to him whenever he woke. It was a habit he noticed the first time he slept in her bed, but he thinks it had started way before that--back when they were genin and they started leaving Konoha. He would search for the sleeping bag that would always somehow be next to him. Ever since he'd activated the sharingan, the first thing he did in the mornings was do a quick sweep of his surroundings. Ever since Sakura, he'd always checked on her first. 

Her side of the bed was cold. 

He sighs happily. Content. He was home. 

He should really go to the Hokage first thing, but the temptation of just lazing around and enjoying his home--and Sakura--was powerful enough that he stayed in bed for another few minutes before he stretched, scratched his shoulder and rose. He put on the blue bunny slippers placed on the floor next to his side of the bed--they hadn't been there last night, then again the piles of clothing haphazardly tossed around the room last night weren't there anymore--and yawned. The slippers were another front he'd lost in, after three consecutive times he lost to her in shogi for the right to walk barefoot in the house because,  _ I'm the one assigned to clean the floors anyway, Sakura.  _ Naruto even laughed when he saw the rabbit's ears and the pink blush on its cheeks, but when he asked "Those are ridiculous, why would you wear those?" and he answered, "Because Sakura said so," he never spoke of it again. When they visited the Uzumakis the next week he was wearing yellow slippers with innumerable smiling sunflowers printed on it, something he was sure his wife had a hand in and Naruto's wife embezzled him into. He had the grace to blush when Sasuke pointedly looked at them and smirked at him. Anyway, they were very comfortable. Sakura was right. Nowadays she always was. 

He opens the curtains, golden sunlight streaming in, and opens the sliding doors that led out to the garden. He took a deep breath, the fresh morning air carrying the scent of grass and the flowers they planted in between the vegetable plots. It was the height of summer and the tomatoes were fruiting like crazy. They had so many that they ran out of ways to cook them and Sasuke just decided to eat them raw. 

He heard voices outside. Sarada was awake and probably preparing for school. He wanted to walk her there yesterday, and he asked, but Sarada blushed and told him that Boruto was going to walk her and  _ Papa can we do it next time, please? I swear that  _ annoying  _ brat always ruins everything, why do we have to discuss the project on the way to the training grounds? _ Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, hiding her smile in her toast. Similarly, Sasuke hides his blush by sipping his tea. He nudges her ankle with his foot under the table. 

…

When Sasuke first came back to the village, exhausted and somewhat red-faced--he'd been turned away from neighboring villages so many times from everywhere he went that he stayed in the outskirts of Konoha, hiding his shame in the cover of the forests. It's not that he expected anything like being welcomed by open arms, quite the opposite really. Still, it hurt to know how far his sins have reached, how much pain he caused, however indirectly. Even those who don't know were wary of his eyes. He refused to hide them then since he had to get used to them himself. Sometimes he didn’t recognize himself in the mirror. But he was still there, on the good side of death's door, trying to pay for his crimes--however long that took. 

She hadn't been in the village when he arrived. Sakura is the best at what she did. Contrary to his, her name was uttered like a blessing, and she brought hope wherever she went. It took him a long time, but now he knows how lucky he was to have her, have Team 7. If it was the universe's way to balance out the shit he'd been handed in all other instances, he's thankful. 

The disappointment in Kakashi's eyes was still there, but he greeted him with a small smile in the corner of his lips, relief that he came back and hadn't dropped off the edge of the world like everyone thought. It'd been half a year, and no one else heard anything from him. Except Sakura. His hands had shaken, and he didn't know what to say--hands stained in ink as he thought what to write down--but he had been sitting under a cherry blossom tree, and at least she knew that he was thinking of her. He drew a single blossom, and he sent his messenger hawk away. He didn't sign it, but he knew that she would know. Naruto might have fought for him hardest, but Sakura always understood him best. He was fortunate to have them both. 

He stayed because he couldn't leave until he saw her. 

He knew the moment she stepped inside the gates, and he turned a corner _ totally by chance _ and walked towards her. She smiled tiredly, and going by the strain in her chakra systems, she most probably relied on soldier pills for the last legs of her journey. Sakura blushed as she turned to the other medics who came with her, waving goodbye as her companions threw him curious glances. He nodded at them, then turned back to her. They disappear into the streets. Sakura stretched and yawned, her eyes drooping now that her companions have left. 

"You're back, then?"

"I'm leaving in a while."

"Oh. Kakashi gave you a mission again?" She fidgeted with her gloves, fingers aching to run her hands through her pinned back hair. It had grown longer, and it looked like she hadn't had the chance to wash it in a while. There were bags under her eyes that he knew she could have easily gotten rid of if she had the energy to. He knew that she hated looking weak, and the lengths she pushes herself to often worries him. 

"Yes. Last week."

"It's not urgent?"

"Not that much. I have two weeks to finish it."

_ Ask, Sakura. Ask why I didn't leave.  _

"Do you have time? I'm hungry and I don't have food at home. Let's eat." She wasn't looking at him, staring straight ahead, her lips set in a straight line like she expected he would refuse and was preparing for his refusal. Like he didn't wait a week into an S rank mission just to see her. 

He didn't answer, but he gave her a look only she would understand. A blush bloomed high on her cheeks, a smile in the corner of her eyes as she turned them toward Ichiraku. 

"Don't you want to go somewhere else?" Somewhere more secluded where the servers won't be throwing doubtful looks in his direction every few minutes, and where he can sit across her and be allowed to look at her face without craning his neck. 

"Strangely, I've been craving for ramen for a few days." She whispers conspiratorially in his ear and he leans down to hear her, "The food there is so bland." Sakura wrinkles her nose and looks around them like she's looking for someone to jump her for disliking another village's shitty food. "I need a whole lot of Uzumaki-approved broth to remind myself what food tastes like." 

She threw him a cheeky smile as she practically skipped the rest of the way. 

He sat down on the stool second from the one right next to the wall. Sakura sat there, and leaned her head on her fist, sighing closing her eyes. He ordered for them both, ignoring Ayame's raised eyebrows. He stared at her as she breathed so slowly he's sure that she fell asleep. 

Two bowls appeared in front of them, along with two cups of tea. 

"On the house." The woman winked and disappeared into the back. 

He placed her bowl in front of her and gently shook her elbow to wake her. Sakura creaks one eye open.

"Hm?" He glances at the food. "Oh." She broke off a pair of chopsticks and rolled them between her hands. 

"Itadakimasu!" He mumbled his own blessing and started eating. Apparently, ramen tasted better when he  _ wasn't _ being forced to eat serving after serving because his friend had a coupon and he could only get new bowls if  _ he _ did, too. Or maybe it's just Sakura.

"The mission, is it confidential?" She said this after a while, apparently, she was hungrier than she let on. 

"No. I'm just finding a scroll that Kakashi thinks Jiraiya hid somewhere in Mist." 

"I hope you brought something to keep you warm, it rains a lot there." She smiled, and now he had something warm to take with him. 

"I'm just having a hard time deciphering the map Jiraiya drew. I asked Naruto about it. He couldn't tell me much."

"From what I hear from Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-san does love riddles." 

"His metaphors are shitty." She laughs and almost chokes on her noodles. 

"So I've heard." Her tongue darts out to lick her lips and his eyes follow the movement. "If you want, I could take a crack at it." He dug through his pockets and produced the map before she could finish speaking. Unconsciously, his hand rises to wipe a drop of broth high on her cheek with his thumb. A small gasp escapes from her lips.

Avoiding her eyes, ears heating, he shows her the map. Her hands flutter over the lines, and he notices the numerous small cuts and the roughness of her palms. When they were young, Sakura relied more on her smarts than anything and her hands had been soft and always smelled like flowers. But now, her hands have been roughened by kunai and disinfectants, and the floral smell was still there but mixed with the sterile smell of the hospital. He finds that he likes both. Her hands moved his to raise the map closer to her face, and she leaned over his arm to see better. She tilts her head this way and that, lips pursing at the symbols and numbers that littered the yellowed paper. She focuses on the number near the center, just a little bit to the right and up. The number 42 followed by random symbols. 

"Do you know this river beside the 42?"

"Not yet. I looked at the maps but without any bearings, it could be any river. The shape and the nearby landmarks aren't telling. I have eleven candidate areas all almost five kilometers in diameter."

"Hm." She clicks her tongue and chews at her bottom lip as she thought. Sasuke watches her. Suddenly, her eyes widen in recognition. "Have you tried Icha-icha?" 

"Icha-icha? Those… books?" He once received a whole collection from Naruto during one of his birthdays. It was waiting on his doorstep, and he inspected the package once, and then promptly set it on fire once he realized what they were. Alright, maybe not  _ immediately  _ after, maybe about a week after he breezed through everything. But that's beside the point. It was hardly literature. Those things shouldn't even be called  _ books _ . 

"Yeah, I think the symbols are the titles. The numbers are page numbers maybe?" Oh.  _ Oh.  _ That made sense. He mentally ran through the titles and yes,  _ yes _ . Those pages should be clues. He distinctly remembered an inn being mentioned, it had been crucial to the 'being trapped together during a thunderstorm' plot. She was right. Sakura was smiling at him like she knew she was. And additionally, that he knew entirely  _ all about  _ Icha-icha. He cleared his throat. 

"Thank you."

"No problem." She faced her ramen. "You would have figured it out, after three days or so."

Her smirk suddenly made him feel like being caught under a genjutsu, and he even checked to make sure that he was still conscious. But no, he was still there and she was still there and watching her down bowls of ramen wasn’t something he thought he would like to do for the rest of his life. He walked her all the way home, catching the little furrow between her eyebrows when she glanced at the plants growing on her porch, drier than she expected them to be. She told him that she had to adjust the automatic watering mechanism and he offered to fix it for her then she said, “Oh, no it’s okay, Sasuke-kun! They’re not really lab plants or anything important like that. Ino just challenged me. She said if I could make something not even remotely poisonous grow, she’d tell me her secret flowering techniques.” She laughed like that was the end of that, but then he offers to water them whenever she’s gone and he’s there and her hand freezes on the doorknob as she turns around. 

“You’re going to water my roses for me?” There was a playful arched eyebrow that he couldn’t help but press his finger on. He drew it down, and she scrunched her nose the way she did when he did something particularly stupid when they were younger. But she was smiling.

“If you want to.” He stared at her and she did that nod-nod-nod thing while laughing softly at him. He was thankful that he waited. The sound of her laughter would fuel him for weeks. 

“Thank you, Sasuke-kun.” her hand hesitated, dropping from the knob and fidgeting with the bag that held the take-out they got. “I’ll see you soon, then?” She wasn’t looking at him anymore, particularly interested at the dried-up leaves on pot #34, with a few rosebuds that were struggling to develop. 

He nodded, and she was about to turn around until, “Sakura.”

“Hm--?” 

He kissed her directly on the purple diamond on her forehead, and she was warm and sweet and it was over too quickly because his ears were burning hot and she was still standing frozen when he touched her cheek and said, “I’ll be back soon.”

It felt like flying. 

…

It started with single sentences. 

_ It's cold in Sand.  _

_ They named a princess after you.  _

_ I saw the ocean today.  _

The messages were always unsigned, the messenger hawk watching her with a tilted head each time. It waited patiently on her windowsill, sometimes flying over her apartment for a bit but always coming back quickly, waiting until she drafts a long letter to send back. Her letters are long and wordy, meandering with whatever was running on her mind that day, a new Uzumaki exploit, Kakashi ditching work, the progress of her clinic. Sasuke's notes are short, but she treasures all of them. 

Then the letters became accompanied by packages. The first time, it was a two-pronged hairpin from Iwa, laden with polished dark blue stones and asymmetrically cut rubies in the form of flowers. An ivory snake curled over the blooms, and white-gold chains flowed from the flowers. 

_ A merchant gave me this for helping him find his son. The mooncakes here are good, you will like them. I'll bring some when I come home.  _

Home. He said Konoha was  _ home _ . Sakura had to put a hand on a chair to support herself as she gasped with disbelief. But that wasn’t the only thing that made her heart race. Sakura held the pin with her pulse pounding in her fingers. He must not have known, but these were only given to  _ brides. _ They're worn during weddings in Iwa, when the mountain flowers bloom in summer and the dawn made the stones on the bride’s hair shine.

She kept it in the drawer next to her bed, the safest part in her apartment, away from quick hands and prying eyes since her friends are already insufferable and they didn't need any more to tease her with. This thing she had with Sasuke was a small and fragile treasure that she felt was too tender to mention to anyone yet. She wasn’t even sure what it was herself. 

...

"You should sleep." She jumped awake, almost slamming her forehead on her desk when the palm she rested her chin on slipped and knocked her now cold cup of coffee a bit to the side. The coffee inside wobbled but did not spill on the piles of pristine white scrolls and papers in front of her. 

"Sasuke?" He hopped down from where he was sitting on her window, carrying a bag of something and his cloak on the crook of his arm. He looked tired, but also relieved. She rubbed at her eyes and cheeks, then yawned. What was the state of her hair? The papers scattered in front of her weren't really needed anytime soon, but she had a mission somewhere in Suna that could take days and she just wanted to be sure. Sasuke stepped towards her and placed the bag in front of her. 

"Have you eaten?" 

"Not yet, no. I'll just eat a heavy breakfast tomorrow. What time is it?"

"It's three in the morning. It's already tomorrow."

"Oh. I was just finishing up some stuff here I didn't notice that it got so late. Have you seen Kakashi yet? He’s been waiting for you."

"Yes, I saw you were sleeping so I went there. Your assistant said that you haven't left your office the whole day. You've been working non-stop for a whole month. You're a med-nin, Sakura. You should take better care of your health." He said this as he dragged a chair from the other side of her desk and sat down on it. Then he began unwrapping the bag of cloth he set down and the smell of deep-fried pork and miso soup filled the room. 

"You should eat." 

"Do I have a choice?" She said this jokingly, but Sasuke's ears turned red and he looked away. 

"I thought you might be hungry. I--" He didn't say anything after that. The furrow on his brows deepened, and he looked so confused that Sakura regretted teasing him immediately. She placed her hand over where his was resting on his thigh and squeezed.

"I'm kidding, Sasuke-kun. Thank you for getting me dinner." Then she leaned forward, in front of his face, so she could catch his eyes as he stared intently at the anatomical diagrams on the wall of her office. "Welcome home."

He turned his gaze toward her, then flips his hand in hers to lace their fingers together. 

"I'm home". 

She must have been frozen for so long because he lets go of her hand and pokes her forehead, turning her face with his finger to the steaming bowls in front of her. He picks up a riceball and since he only had one had to manage it, proceeds to tear open the packaging with his teeth. It makes a strange thrill run up her spine and she hides her blush by fussing over the chopsticks and bowls. After all this time, he still had the same effect on her. Worse, probably, since time only made him even more beautiful. He had grown so tall that she had to crane her neck to look at him, and his hair always looked better than hers even if he only used one soap for the entirety of his body. It was very much unfair. When she turns back to him, he was looking at her.

"You look tired." She said as she put the hand that wasn't holding chopsticks on his forehead and ran her chakra through his systems. It welcomed her like an old friend, and his chakra caressed hers. It felt electric but comforting. He was fine, but nearing the end of his rope. She was surprised he wasn't passed out with his stores running this low.

"You do, too."

"Let's finish eating and then go home?"

He nods. 

Since Sasuke was rarely in the village, he didn't bother getting an apartment and stayed mostly in inns while he's there. Naruto, after noticing that he was getting charged way too high--most the village was grateful but still wary, but some hold deeper grudges-- offered not his couch but  _ hers _ . 

_ "Why don't you just stay with Sakura-chan? She has a couch! I crash there when I'm too lazy to head home. And she always keeps her fridge stocked, too." _

_ "I'm not mooching off of Sakura like you do, dumbass." _

_ "What do you think, Sakura-chan? Sasuke probably has the backpains of a ninety-year-old now, please rescue him from his own stupidity." _

So she offered, not really believing he would go for it because Sasuke was protective of his personal space, but he accepted. He must've been getting tired of the innkeepers. Now, after months of this, they had a set routine and had divided the chores equally between them. 

When they entered her apartment, she remembered that he had nowhere to sleep. Usually, he slept on her couch, but his feet always stuck out and she was sure that it couldn't have been comfortable so she gave her couch back to her parents’ house and got a new one. But it wouldn't come until tomorrow, and the empty space in her living room taunted her. 

"Where is the couch?"

She winced. Sasuke took off his sandals and put down his things on the step, just above where her boots were. He drops his sword on the coffee table and looked back at her expectantly. 

"I gave it back to my parents. I didn't know you'd be back tonight, so I had the new one delivered tomorrow."

He nodded and then moved to unclip his storage scroll from his belt to summon his sleeping bag.

"No, no! It's okay you can sleep on the bed." After she said the words, she realized that she was going to sleep  _ there _ , too. Sakura bit her lip, avoiding his eyes.

He nodded once more, eyes searching hers for something. 

Sakura breaks eye contact and they go about their routine. 

Her heart doesn't stop pounding even as she sat on the mattress, freshly showered and exhausted, and then it just stopped completely. Sasuke walked in after his turn in the shower, hair still damp and wearing sleeping pants and a dark shirt that should have been loose on him but wasn't. Sakura tucked her legs under the sheets. Damn, she didn't offer him an extra blanket. Too late, since he was already slipping under hers. Sasuke saw her hesitation and said,

"I can sleep in the living room."

"I-- It's okay. I'm too tired to get you a pillow and blankets. Just sleep, Sasuke-kun." She settled, pulled the sheet to her cheeks, and kept her eyes on the ceiling. Sasuke was on his side, turned towards her. She felt his heat permeate the space between them, warming up the blanket and making her want to turn to him but she didn't since she's not sure she can take it. 

"Good night, Sasuke."

"Hm. Good night." The deep, sleepy rumble of his voice lulled her to sleep, and in a few moments, she was out. Sasuke took longer, but a few minutes later he fell asleep to the sound of her breathing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im on twitter [ @sinaingsinala](https://twitter.com/sinaingsinala/) if u wanna witness my slow descent into madness as i creep all my wips forward very very very slowly


	2. "Ra"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry this was months late :')

The first thing she noticed when she woke was the smell of smoke, ozone and the forest during winter. Familiar yet strange, but she felt so comfortable that she burrowed into the warmth, clutching her arms around something that sighed when she pressed herself closer. There was a steady beating right next to her ear, and the arms around her tightened. Half-awake, she creaked open one eye and looked up, seeing the length of his pale neck, then immediately getting tucked under a chin when Sasuke grumbled, 

“-it’s too early, Sakura.” He pressed his face into her hair, breathed in and curled himself around her. 

“Sasuke-kun?”

“Hmm?”

“Um.”

“Go back to sleep. It’s Sunday, you don’t have work today.” His voice was heavy with sleep and as he spoke, she could feel his lips on her forehead. Yes. He was right. But Sakura was still confused. She just woke up in the arms of the man she loved and it was too early to be thinking about anything. So, half-asleep, she did the only thing that made sense and settled into his embrace. He made a sound of contentment, held her tighter, and they fell asleep once more. When she woke up again, she was lying on his shoulder and his fingers were drawing circles on her back. When he drew a curved line across and then a tiny line down, she realized that it was the Uchiha symbol he was drawing. She pushed herself up to look over him, and though he was awake, he had his eyes closed. 

“Sasuke-kun?” Her voice so soft, as if any louder and she’d be woken from a dream.

“Hm?” His hand stopped moving, but it settled on her waist as he turned toward her. 

What should she say? What does one say? What words does she even use? After dreaming of this when she was younger and after pushing the dreams down for years after he left because she couldn’t have functioned with the gaping hole in her chest, she didn’t know how to react. Thankfully, Sasuke sensed her confusion and opened his eyes. 

He stared at her for the longest time, soft smile lines playing at the corner of his eyes. 

“Is this okay?” His voice was barely a whisper. She’d never seen him so flustered before, and he looked everywhere but her face. Sakura never thought that he could sound so bashful until this moment. 

“Well, I don’t really know exactly what _this_ is. But so far,” she brought a hand up to push away the locks that fell over his eyes, “I’m okay with it if you are.” 

Remembering herself, she immediately lowered her hand. Her heart clenched because she was looking too much into it. It was just cold, and her heating has been clunky lately and she didn’t have the time to check on it yet. Sasuke wasn’t the touchy type, but he probably saw that she was shivering. Yeah, she shouldn’t look into it. She couldn’t afford to be clingy. Not when it’s been great so far. 

“What are you thinking?” A hand on her cheek snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts, a thumb brushed the bags under her eyes. 

“Nothing important. We should probably get out of bed, it’s late and—” Her nervous laughter did nothing for his frown. He pushed himself up, and suddenly he loomed over her, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Sakura.”

“I’m sorry, I should have told you I was a cover hog. Did I try to steal the blanket all night? Don’t worry the couch is gonna get here today.” She laughed again, avoiding his intense stare. Her hands fisted on the sheet. This was going downhill fast. She needed to hide away and splash her face with ice-cold water if she was going to make it through breakfast. She hated feeling unmoored and she needed to get it together as soon as possible. “Did you even sleep?” 

“Look at me.” 

“I’ll go make us some tea—”

_“Sakura.”_ A soft sigh. Her name had never sounded so gentle. Slowly, her eyes made it back to his. “What is it?” Soft, like she was a flighty cat that would be spooked if he spoke any louder.

“What do you mean?”

“Have I made you uncomfortable?"

“ _No_ . No. Of course not. I was worried if I made _you_ uncomfortable. I know you value your personal space. I’m just—” She pursed her lips and hoped that she was giving a passable enough smile, “—I don’t really know. I’m your friend, and I’d hate it if I make you feel unwelcome here by being too touchy.”

He blinked at her, taken aback. His brow furrowed further and his lips formed shapes but not words. He looked as if he just realized something stupendous. Like an embarrassing secret. Something strange, something that made him look like he watched her disrespect her grandparents.

_“Friend?”_

“Aren’t we? I mean, you came back and I thought you felt safe here and that’s why— I mean we’re friends at least aren’t we?”

“ _Sakura._ ” His fingers trace along her cheek, and she gasps as his hand cradles her face, unwilling to let her look away. There was a hint of amusement and a whole lot of annoyance in the way that his eyebrows were raised. “I thought you were taking long because you were weighing your options. I understand. I know any way this goes, all the things I’ve done— Tell me you’re kidding.”

“I don’t understand?”

“You _don’t_ .” He laughed. Lighter, this time. And then he pressed his forehead against hers, still looking at her. “ _Friends?_ Sakura, I asked you to marry me _months_ ago.” 

“What?” Her voice came out so breathless. He was laughing again. And as if her heart wasn’t pounding fast enough, he pressed his lips on her forehead. Just like he did before. 

“I can’t believe it. You always understood. You were the only one who _always_ understood.”

“What are you saying? Sasuke, I’m confused.” She was probably asleep. Or hallucinating. Was she _that_ tired?

“Why do you think I'm here, Sakura?” 

“...because I'm your friend?”

Sasuke ran his hand down his face, his face screwed as he chuckled darkly, “I went drinking with your parents so I could ask them if I could marry you."

_“You went drinking with my parents?”_

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned that I already asked them if I could marry you?”

“I— What’s happening? I don’t— Are you saying.... all this time?”

Her eyes were wide and shining, tears on the verge of falling. He made her cry again. Happy tears now. Hopefully. 

“Yes. _All this time_ ” 

_“You like me?”_ She said it like something she found particularly embarrassing, like the way she admitted that she stole his rice balls when she was hungry that one time. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Do you like _me_?" He said it jokingly, but there was a new doubt in his eyes that told Sakura that he was pulling away to give her space to digest all this. He thought that if she hadn't noticed it was either she couldn't believe it or that she chose to not acknowledge it. Suddenly Sasuke was on his back, Sakura pinning him down with her upper body. 

"Don't tease me. I'm your emergency contact. And also your doctor. Don't test me, Sasuke Uchiha." His chest rumbles and she feels all his chuckles shake her. 

"I live in your house, Sakura. We bought a new rice cooker together. I learned how to make anmitsu. I polish all your kunai, and we alternate the laundry duties. Which— Please stop mixing your… ah, intimates with all your other clothes." Now he was the one avoiding her eyes. His ears were so red. "Kakashi asks me when we're going to change our marital status in the registry every time I go to his office."

Sakura groaned, hiding her face in her hands. It was too early to have this many revelations. 

"Does _everyone_ in the village know? The baker called me Mrs. Uchiha yesterday!!"

"Naruto believes we got married in secret. He’s still angry because he thought we didn't invite him." Sakura buried her head into the crook of his neck and she felt him start to detangle her messy bedhead. They were quiet for a long time; Sakura clenched her hands over his shirt and Sasuke took his time with her hair, sighing contentedly. 

"Does this mean I have to do it again? Since you didn't notice?"

"Are you going to drink with my parents again?"

He just shrugged. 

Sakura lifted her head and looked at him seriously. 

"You know I never really liked public displays of affection. It's okay if I see it. But personally I don't prefer grand displays. So this is exactly how I wanted it to be." She cradled his face in her hands. This was so _surreal_. And she's still not sure that it wasn't a dream but she smiled all the same. 

"How you wanted what?" 

"If I ever get proposed to. In theory, this was how I hoped it would go. Quiet. Just me and him. The waking up to it and us having bedhead was just a bonus, I guess. But if I could tweak it a little bit, maybe I would have liked it during breakfast. Or in the general time frame of breakfast. Just so I could have brushed my teeth."

"In this scenario, would you have imagined being with me?"

Sakura looked up. Technically, his ears had never stopped blushing, but now the color had spilled onto his cheeks. She felt his fingers start to shake as he ran them through her now detangled hair. "Why, did you think that a decade of you fucking up was enough to make me stop loving you?" Sasuke pressed his lips to the crown of her hair, tightening his hold on her that his arm crushed her to him. 

"It's enough to tire out anyone."

"I'm very tenacious."

"You are."

The silence was filled with their breathing. Her cheek just above his heart. 

"I feel like this is a dream," She admitted. "I never stopped dreaming about you." 

"Me too. It made me feel less lonely. But after some time it would make me angry. I hated myself because I could never hate you. Even when I wished I could."

She wanted to see his face, but at the same time she was thankful that her face was hidden. Hot tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes.

"I hated you for a long time," she murmured. His breaths stuttered once but returned after a long sigh. 

"I know. I'm sorry."

"But I never stopped loving you. Even when I wished I could." 

"Me too."

_"Sasuke."_ Sakura pulled away. It was no struggle, he immediately let go of her. 

She tucked away the chunk of hair that fell over his eyes like she always wanted to.

"I really wish I brushed my teeth right now." His lips twitched at the corners in a single chuckle. Suddenly she felt like the barrier she crafted all these years had crumbled and the way he looked at her finally, _finally_ made sense again. She'd been lost for so long and he was, too. But now they found each other again, after years of scars and chasing after shadows, here they were looking at each other as the two halves they've always been.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _Why?_

"So I could kiss you."

"Who says you couldn't?"

She pressed her lips together and hesitated. Then, "Wait, I'm brushing my teeth first." She started to scoot off the bed and she smiled when he pulled her back as she expected he would.

"No. Kiss me now," he grumbled. 

"Ah, Mr. Uchiha. You must learn to listen to your wife. Because I’m _always_ right." His eyes widened, and he swallowed in a way that he tried to hide but couldn't. Sakura smiled, leaning closer. "Five minutes after finding out that apparently we were _dating_ , I have made my decision. After a long deliberation: Yes, Sasuke Uchiha. I'll marry you." 

His eyes shone, mouth agape. And she wanted to laugh but instead leaned in and kissed him. His lips were frozen, shocked. But soft. So soft. After a while he melted under her. They were unpracticed, uncertain what to do. They didn't exactly choose to learn how to kiss in the long years they've been training how to kill. But they knew each other in the way that only they could, and they've always been quick learners.

He turned her towards him, cradling her back until he could press her into the mattress. She gasped when he snaked his hand from around her to her side, running his hand up and down until her shirt had ridden up that he could press his palm to the skin he bared. He quickly took advantage, running his tongue over her bottom lip, nipping at her gently with his teeth before delving inside. He swallowed her moan as he licked at her. He groaned, kissed like he'd been starving. As if one taste of her and it would never be enough. 

_"Sakura,"_ he groaned as they drew away for breath, gasping. His lips never left her skin, and he ran them along her jaw in tiny biting kisses that stung just a bit and made her shiver. She didn't know she closed her eyes, but when she opened them, she caught a flash of red as he sighed along her neck, kissing his way down and then across. He hummed as he kissed the place where her neck met her shoulder. She squirmed under him. Every breath he took was a pleasurable weight on her chest. He looked at her briefly, taking in her glazed eyes and parted lips that were red and shiny from his attention. The sharingan's tomoes spun as she watched him bite into her collarbones, holding her gaze as he made his way over her skin. He was memorizing this.

"Your eyes."

"I wanted to kiss you before I left, but Kakashi was there." Ignoring her, Sasuke slipped a hand slightly under her shirt and caressed her in soft circles over her stomach. 

"Are you sure it's not because we didn't know how to kiss and it would have been horrible?" It was hard to focus, but she gasped the sentence out. He found a spot just below her ear that made her groan and arch towards him. His chest rumbled as he chuckled, and Sakura felt it as he pressed her down to the bed with his entire weight. 

"That, and because I didn't deserve it." He pulled away to look at her. She raised an eyebrow, imploring him to continue. "Then I realized that I never would. But I hoped you would love me enough to let me be your friend again. So I came home." Sakura raised herself up to her elbows, and as she did twin streaks of hot tears carved their way down her cheeks. 

"Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."

...

No one was really surprised when they stepped out the next day to buy groceries and she held his hand. After that, he started touching her as if he was finally allowed. A hand in the small of her back as she rolled tomatoes in her hands to check for ripeness, running down his hand on the side of her hip to slow her down from haggling for vegetables, a quick hand on her elbow as he pulled her away from a child running carelessly and towards him. The baker called her Mrs. Uchiha again and Sasuke's ears reddened as the lady threw in a bun that could 'help him make his wife happy'. Sakura laughed and steered him away, smiling at the baker. 

Well, everyone except Naruto, who choked after he saw them sitting at Ichiraku. They decided to skip making lunch because Sakura remembered she had an errand to run at the clinic. Then, they would clean the house. It'd been sitting empty for a while before they came home and it would be nice to rearrange the furniture after the couch comes. 

They were deep into a conversation about the bed when Naruto suddenly popped right next to them. 

"It's never too early to be worrying about spine health, Sakura. The bed is too lumpy. We should get a new mattress." He said it in the airy way that mirrored all the times she scolded him about his unhealthy habits before.

"Well if you don't like the mattress maybe you should just sleep on the couch—"

_"What the hell?"_ Ayame, used to these outbursts, placed Sakura's second bowl in front of them without a drop of broth spilled. She greeted Naruto before preparing his usual, not bothering to ask.

"Sasuke you fucking liar! _I knew it!_ " 

"Good morning to you too, Naruto-kun." Sakura tilted her chin up and continued enjoying her lunch. Sasuke, intent to do the same, picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to ignore Naruto as he scrambled to his seat. 

"I can't believe you didn't invite me, Sakura-chan. I thought we were friends!" Naruto then muttered his thanks with his face on his bowl and drowned his sorrows in ramen as he always did. 

"Invite you where?" Her voice was haughty and taunting. Sasuke caught the tiny smirk on her lips which grew when he raised an eyebrow in her direction. _Have mercy,_ his eyes implied.

_Oh, Sasuke._

"Your wedding!"

"What wedding?" Naruto was turning a curious shade of red now, and he sputtered over his words.

"I mean I expected it from him, but not from you. Sakura, you're breaking my heart. I can't believe you didn't invite me to your wedding. Me, the one who whooped this bastard's ass to bring him back to you in the first place."

"She saved my life, idiot. You almost killed me."

"It was what it took to wake you up, remember?" Naruto's voice was sullen and unexpectedly serious. He twirled his chopsticks around his noodles, staring quietly. 

"I'm happy for you guys. Really. I'm just kidding." 

Sakura reached for him, taking his hand. 

"Naruto, I'm just teasing you.” She eyed Sasuke from the side, “I just found just this morning that apparently, Sasuke and I were dating." He groaned and muttered something like 'never going to let me live it down' and 'Sakura, please'.

"What?"

"Yeah, I woke up today and found out that I have a boyfriend."

"Sakura?" For a moment, he looked dumbfounded, then confused, then surprised. Then, "Do you know how much Kakashi has asked Sasuke about—"

"Yeah, yeah. He told me earlier."

"How the hell did you fuck up this badly?" The question was directed to Sasuke, but he decided to ignore it. But Sakura saw how much his ears were red. "You told me you were going to ask her to marry you _ages ago!_ How the hell did you even— Did you even ask her? Or tell her your feelings because you were pretty messed up last time we went out drinking and you swore to us that you would—'

"Shut up, Naruto."

"No, no. Keep going." 

"Well, _shit_. Sasuke saw you going out with that redhead guy from the hospital—"

"My assistant?" 

"Yeah, that one. He thought he was trying to 'court you'. His exact words, not mine. And he said that he thought you were just taking your time deciding. And we asked him since when have you guys started going out and he said, 'well, we already _live_ together' and of course we told him if he actually _asked_ to be together and he was pretty hard to talk to after that because holy hell, Sasuke is such a lightweight. But everyone agreed that he should probably _clear things up_ with you," he said this with a pointed glare at Sasuke, then continued, "because as far as we know _Sakura has no idea._ God, both of you are so stupid. I can't believe Hinata went to _you_ for advice, _Sakura_." 

They were silent except for the noise of Naruto eating his way through three bowls—How does he even eat that fast?—with them alone in their thoughts. 

"You know I'm never letting you forget about this, right?" Sasuke closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He glared at Sakura in a way that made a shiver run up her spine. _You'll pay for this later._

_Bring it._

"Hey, I'm still here!"

"Yes, yes. But I have to make up for lost time. Are you done?" He waited for her to nod, and then, "It's on him, Ayame. It's his congratulatory gift. Thank you, Naruto." He patted Naruto's shoulder once, then his arm went around her and Naruto's protests faded in the distance. 

"Hey—"

"We're going to get a new mattress." Sakura wanted to argue, but the way he was blushing made her soft, and she leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. 

"You know that this is the last time you're going to win an argument, right?" 

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, smiled in the secret way he does only with her. 

"We'll see."

...

It was pouring and they were wet down to their bones when they finally ducked inside the inn. It was cozy, tucked on the slopes of a mountain, it's location promising a view that was currently blocked by sheets and sheets of rain. This time of the year it was usually clear and sunny in these parts. Unfortunately, the universe seemed to truly, truly hate Sasuke. He planned this for _a_ _year._

"Hey, it's gonna be alright. Let's just check in first." Sakura touched his cheek, then laced her hand through his as they squelched their way to the front desk. It was quiet, and the warmth of her presence lifted the dark cloud over him. Just a bit. Because Sakura deserved everything and surely he could give her _this_. Her dress was soaked, and her hair was falling from where it had been beautifully held up by the pin he gave her. But her smile was still there since this morning as if the storm was just part of their trip. Like the storm just added to the joy of being married far away from prying, judging eyes, and didn't make her almost slip on wet soil several times, sullying her shoes with mud he was sure would never be washed off. 

His chest felt lighter at the thought of making her this happy. She talked to the old lady on the front, and the lady's voice was different from the sharp tones she spoke to Sasuke when he booked their cottage. Her words were kind but precise, and the conversation was already coming to a close soon enough. He let Sakura do the talking, squeezed her hand to comfort himself as he thought about what could be salvaged from the rest of the night. He was going to take her to see the cherry blossoms that gave him the strength to start writing to her, but that plan was busted the moment the dark clouds rolled over the horizon. At least they could still do the hot spring. They had a private one anyway. Sakura was shivering and it could warm her up quickly. There was sake and dinner. Sasuke apologized for the wet floors before they could leave. The lady smiled playfully and looked at them fondly before waving them away.

The cottage was already lit, and the food was coming in later because the dinner that was prepared had cooled. The ceremony had been delayed by an ill-timed messenger hawk from Suna about a poisoning incident they wanted Sakura's help with. Half an hour later, the messenger hawk disappeared into the horizon and the ceremony proceedings commenced with fewer glares from the officiant than he expected. They placed their bags on the corner, their belongings laid out to dry. Sakura disappeared into the bathroom to change. Sasuke just grabbed a towel from the closet, took off his clothes, and walked to the back to soak in the hot spring. Sighing, he laid his head on the rocks and re-evaluated his options. It depended on how the weather would— 

The water rippled as Sakura entered and sat beside him, her hair messily held up by a different hairpin that struggled to do its job. Tendrils of hair tickled her bare neck and Sasuke struggled to keep his eyes away, so he didn't. They've been ninjas for a long time and they've been friends for longer, so their bodies weren't unknown to each other. Several missions ran long and inconvenient enough that modesty had been the least of their worries. Still, the sight of her creamy skin, scarred and worn by years of battle and her tendency to put others before herself made his heart pound in his chest. He knew that she had more than enough skill to vanish them but understood why she kept them. 

Sakura was doing the same, running her eyes along his body that he felt more than he saw. He swallowed and she followed the movement, green eyes shining with a want he only hoped he could fulfill. 

He raised his hand to tuck an errant chunk of hair that dared cover her eyes and Sakura gulped. The movement brought his eyes down her heaving chest and he had the sudden urge to _lick._

"You're staring."

"I want to look at my wife."

Sakura took in a shaky breath, brave but unexpectedly shy. 

"Is my husband happy with what he sees?" He didn't answer, but he wrapped his arm around her to bring her closer. Then his hand slid up her body, stroked her neck and tilted her head so he could kiss the crown of her hair. 

"Is he?" Her voice was calm, but there was a slight hint of embarrassment and insecurity in the way she whispered the question. 

Why would she even ask him that? 

Again instead of answering, he gently took her hands in his, caressing the backs of them before placing them over his towel and the straining hardness between his legs. He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. 

"I don't know, what do you think?" His voice was deep and thick and Sakura shivered when warm breath touched her skin. She gasped but didn't pull away. Instead, she lightly grasped her fingers around him and made him buck into her hands as he ached for more of her touch. She was staring at where her arm disappeared into the water, the hazy blur of her hand over him as the water rippled around them. Breathing heavily, lips parted, Sakura grabbed him tighter as his hand left hers to cup her cheek. He lightly ran a thumb over her bottom lip, dragging it slightly down so he could see the plump, soft, shiny inside. 

Her eyes became unfocused as she wrapped her lips around his thumb hesitantly, her tongue following more confidently afterward. The steam was getting to his head and for a while, all he could see was emerald and pink. The column of her neck seemed so enticing as he dipped his thumb further into her mouth. She moaned, and her hands went everywhere and nowhere. They scrambled over the planes of his abdomen, her fingers scrambling over him as if she was reaching for something she couldn't see.

He didn't have enough time to miss her hands as Sakura moved slowly to straddle his hips. She couldn't meet his eyes, but she could feel the heat of them as she settled over him, his cock nestling under the heat between her thighs. His answering groan was pressed to the skin of her neck. 

_"Sakura,"_ he groaned her name. His face remained hidden away, but his thumb left her mouth with a pop as he settled his grasping hand over her hip just above where the towel had ridden up. There was a heat burning through her that had nothing to do with the spring, and she didn't know if Sasuke could provide relief or just make her burn hotter. She put her hands around his face to lift his lips up towards her and the spinning tomoes of the sharingan greeted her as she pressed her lips softly on his. At first, it was as gentle as the one they shared on her bed, but soon enough his gentle sips became more insistent, teeth catching on her bottom lip. He licked at her lips and pressed the flat of his hand on the small of her back to roll her hips over his cock at the same time, taking advantage of her gasp to push his tongue past her lips. He tasted like mint and the bitter tea they had in the morning, which he drank with her only because he thought drinking it would help settle her nerves. The tea didn't help, but his soft smile as he told her not to worry had. He moaned as she kissed him back in earnest, his hand tugging on her towel. The sound broke off into a deeper groan as she rolled her hips down harder. Still, she could feel an undercurrent of worry vibrate in his body as he second-guessed his every move. Sakura broke off the kiss—relishing the moment he tried to follow her and his slight whine—and lifted her head

"You don't have to be so careful with me." His grip on the towel loosened. The furrow between his eyebrows deepened as she watched him clench his eyes closed. "I can feel you hesitate."

"I..." He trailed off, once again turning his face away. 

"You were doing good. I liked it, Sasuke." She remembered the hungry look on his face as he taunted her at the start. But it had flickered less brightly as they kissed. "I want you to do whatever you want to me." He startled and his breaths came in pants. "I want this just as much as you do."

Several emotions passed on his face: surprise, confusion, embarrassment, before it settled on painful regret. 

"I want you… too much." The words she wanted to say were _it's the way that I want it to be_ , but it felt like those were the wrong words to say. The spring bubbled in their silence, and she ran her thumbs over the high points of his cheeks before she leaned in for a soft kiss. It was a slight peck, a reassurance. Just to remind him that she was still there with him.

"Then let's eat first."

His eyes had wandered to her lips as he pouted. He looked up way too fast that she chuckled. 

"Sakura—" 

"I'm nervous, too. And it might be good to rest up a little bit. I don't know how long I'll last if I don't eat anything before." 

She moved away slowly, already missing his warmth before she heard him mutter, "I'll make you last."


End file.
